If you have a side hustle or one of those cool jobs that doesn’t require you to be in the office you may have the benefit of working at home. I thankfully get to work from home with my 9 to 5 job and I also work from home after 5 pm with my side hustle – I’m a digital marketing consultant for start-ups (more about that another day).
When I tell people that I work from home their first reaction is always, “how do you do it?” I think working at home gets a bad reputation because people think it’s code for slacking off (and I used to be one of them), but that’s just not true.
I am much more productive when I work from home because I’m comfortable and in my own element as oppose to being uncomfortable in work clothes at the office. The key to being successful when working at home is to learn how to separate your work from your home. Here’s how you can do it:
Set time limits
You’re being paid the same amount of money when working from home so be sure to stop working at the cut off time and start enjoying your personal time. It’s also important to make sure you take a lunch break and get up to walk around and stretch your legs. Working at home can get really tiring really fast if you don’t set time limits to enjoy your personal life.
Remember your spouse
Sometimes my spouse works from home too and when we’re both here it’s important to remember that you aren’t alone. Our home offices are in different parts of our home so we meet in the middle a.k.a. the kitchen for lunch. It’s nice to have a little break with your sweetheart in the middle of the day – I don’t get to do that at the office.
Don’t forget why you’re there
It’s very easy to get side tracked when working at home. I always want to do laundry or clean the bathroom when I’m at home, but I always need to remember that I’m there to work. When I work from home I stick to my schedule.
My alarm goes off, I take a shower, get dressed and go to work, it just so happens that my desk is in my bedroom. My day looks the exact same if I’m in the office or at home except that I save 60 minutes commuting to and from work. That is extra time I get back in my life to spend with my spouse, go to a yoga class or take a nap – it’s usually a nap.
Drink lots of water
It’s very easy to get caught up in your work and forget to drink water, especially if you’re not meeting up with co-workers at the water cooler. I make a point to get to the fridge and continue to drink four to five glasses of water per day. Dehydration can stall creativity and cause headaches, I’m sure no one wants that.
Stay active
One of the major benefits of working at home is we can get in a workout on our lunch hour. I know a lot of men workout at lunch, but it’s not so easy for women. We have makeup to reapply and hair to get done so lunchtime workouts can go well over an hour. However when I’m at home it’s easy to get in a good workout because I put back on my yoga pants and leave my hair wet.